Artists skip Spain's Sonar festival in support of Palestinians
Dozens of artists have pulled out of next week's Sonar electronic music festival in Spain, protesting financial ties between its parent company and real estate investments in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
In an open letter posted on social media, more than 60 artists -- including Arca, Asia, DJ Paquita Gordon, and Shaun J. Wright -- accused the private equity firm KKR of being "fully complicit in the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza".
Sonar -- which will be held in Barcelona this year June 12-14 -- is one of around 80 global events operated by Superstruct Entertainment, which has been majority-owned by KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) since October 2024.
The artists are urging the festival to sever ties with KKR and to adhere to the principles of the international Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to financially pressure Israel into ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories.
BDS accuses KKR of complicity in "Israel's genocide and colonial apartheid regime", citing the firm's stake in German media group Axel Springer.
That group owns Israeli classifieds site Yad2, which BDS says features listings for real estate projects in occupied Palestinian territories.
The Sonar festival said on its website that the 2024 acquisition of Superstruct shares by KKR and other investors was "purely financial" and that Sonar had no say in the transaction.
"We categorically condemn the genocide of the Palestinian people," the festival said in a statement, adding: "At no time have we ever sent -- nor will we ever send -- a single euro to KKR."
Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, a member of the far-left Sumar alliance, voiced concern last month over what he described as KKR's involvement in Spanish festivals and its business activities in "illegally occupied" Palestinian territories.
"We do not want a fund that actively contributes to the illegal occupation of Palestine to have a role in our cultural life," he told reporters.
Contacted by AFP in New York, KKR did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024 in a coordinated decision slammed by Israel.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is one of the most outspoken critics in the European Union of Israel's military operations in Gaza.
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